During the 18th century, Virginia was known to be the most populous state. It was located in the southern part of the United States. The economy was mainly focused on agriculture due to the prosperity of tobacco. There were all varieties of different people ranging from farmers to leaders to slaves. Farmers and slaves took up a majority of the population.
Occupation and Background
Edmund Randolph was born on August 10, 1753 in Williamsburg. He attended the College of William and Mary and studied law. He served as George Washington’s aide-de-camp in 1775 during the Revolutionary War. Randolph was the governor of Virginia, Secretary of State, Constitutional Convention delegate, first United States Attorney General and Annapolis Convention delegate. He also sat on the Committee of Detail, which developed an early draft of the Constitution. He married Elizabeth Nicholas and had six children. On September 12, 1813 Edmund Randolph died.
Constitutional Convention
Randolph was invited to attend the convention and he accepted it. He had a very important role for he proposed the Virginia Plan also called Large States Plan. This plan called for a strong central government consisting of three branches, including the Legislative, Judicial, and Executive with checks and balances to make sure neither of the branches abuses their power. Also, it identifies two houses (bicameral) in the Legislative Branch, the House of Representatives and the Senate. Each of the states would have representation in Congress based on the population. The larger states supported this plan, whereas the smaller states opposed because they didn’t want to lose power in the federal government. In the end, Randolph changed his mind and did not sign the Constitution. He was cautious of creating a one-man executive, because of the possibility of a tyranny and he did not think the Constitution provided individual and state rights.
States Ratifying Convention
He was a member of the Virginia Ratifying Convention and supported the Constitution. Eight states had already ratified the document and Randolph didn’t want Virginia to be left out of the Union, so he convinced others to support the document. Nine states were needed to ratify the Constitution and Virginia became the ninth.
Constitution Arguments
Randolph opposed a one-man executive, presidential re-eligibility and pardoning power. He opposed slavery and wanted it abolished from the document entirely. Randolph was a republican and felt it wasn’t sufficiently “republican". As mentioned earlier, Randolph favored a strong central government. Since Randolph was a Federalist, he sided with those who supported a strong government like John Dickinson, John Jay and Alexander Hamilton. These men were his references because they all favored a strong central government. His main enemy was Patrick Henry, who was for the opposition, the Anti-Federalists. Other foes were Richard Henry Lee, George Mason, Robert Yates, “Z” and Mercy Otis Warren.
Position: Federalist
Virginia Representative
During the 18th century, Virginia was known to be the most populous state. It was located in the southern part of the United States. The economy was mainly focused on agriculture due to the prosperity of tobacco. There were all varieties of different people ranging from farmers to leaders to slaves. Farmers and slaves took up a majority of the population.Occupation and Background
Edmund Randolph was born on August 10, 1753 in Williamsburg. He attended the College of William and Mary and studied law. He served as George Washington’s aide-de-camp in 1775 during the Revolutionary War. Randolph was the governor of Virginia, Secretary of State, Constitutional Convention delegate, first United States Attorney General and Annapolis Convention delegate. He also sat on the Committee of Detail, which developed an early draft of the Constitution. He married Elizabeth Nicholas and had six children. On September 12, 1813 Edmund Randolph died.
Constitutional Convention
Randolph was invited to attend the convention and he accepted it. He had a very important role for he proposed the Virginia Plan also called Large States Plan. This plan called for a strong central government consisting of three branches, including the Legislative, Judicial, and Executive with checks and balances to make sure neither of the branches abuses their power. Also, it identifies two houses (bicameral) in the Legislative Branch, the House of Representatives and the Senate. Each of the states would have representation in Congress based on the population. The larger states supported this plan, whereas the smaller states opposed because they didn’t want to lose power in the federal government. In the end, Randolph changed his mind and did not sign the Constitution. He was cautious of creating a one-man executive, because of the possibility of a tyranny and he did not think the Constitution provided individual and state rights.States Ratifying Convention
He was a member of the Virginia Ratifying Convention and supported the Constitution. Eight states had already ratified the document and Randolph didn’t want Virginia to be left out of the Union, so he convinced others to support the document. Nine states were needed to ratify the Constitution and Virginia became the ninth.Constitution Arguments
Randolph opposed a one-man executive, presidential re-eligibility and pardoning power. He opposed slavery and wanted it abolished from the document entirely. Randolph was a republican and felt it wasn’t sufficiently “republican". As mentioned earlier, Randolph favored a strong central government. Since Randolph was a Federalist, he sided with those who supported a strong government like John Dickinson, John Jay and Alexander Hamilton. These men were his references because they all favored a strong central government. His main enemy was Patrick Henry, who was for the opposition, the Anti-Federalists. Other foes were Richard Henry Lee, George Mason, Robert Yates, “Z” and Mercy Otis Warren.Bibliography
**"Constitution of the United States - A History." National Archives and Records Administration. 20 Sep. 2009 http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/constitution_history.html.
"Delegates to the Constitutional Convention:Edmund J. Randolph." TeachingAmericanHistory.org -- Free Seminars and Summer Institutes for Social Studies Teachers. 20 Sep. 2009 http://teachingamericanhistory.org/convention/delegates/randolph.html
"Edmund Randolph Biography." Shaping of America 1783-1815 Biographies. Ed. Sharon M. Hanes and Richard C. Hanes. UXL-GALE, 2006. eNotes.com. 2006. 20 Sep, 2009 <http://www.enotes.com/shaping-america-biographies/randolph-edmund>
"Edmund Randolph." Hall of North and South Americans. 20 Sep. 2009 http://www.famousamericans.net/presidentjamesmadison.com/edmundrandolph.org/.
"Edmund Randolph." ushistory.org. 20 Sep. 2009 <http://www.ushistory.org/Germantown/people/randolph.htm>.